


Nice Legs Daisy Dukes

by justanotherboi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance, but its okay theyre in love, catboy, kitty!seok, two teens being stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 03:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherboi/pseuds/justanotherboi
Summary: Catboys and Teenagers make very bad decisions.





	

"Kris, where's your pet?"

     Kris, pretty sleek guy by his own standards that rolls his sleeves and shaves a sliver of his eyebrow off for style, stares at his boss. It takes a moment to process the question, mind playing on the word _pet_.

"Oh, he's at the cottage." He replies, refilling the middle aged man's glass with alcohol. Like, not to get him drunk and take over the business after he dies of an alcohol-related coma, no. Not at all. The man thanks him with a dismissal wave of the hand, turning over to laugh heartily at a catboy-related remark another co-worker - one of Kris' other higher ups - made. The sky is blue, empty when clouds aren't present, only highlighting the expanse of the atmosphere and the Earth. That's pretty cool, he muses. The moon is high up, unusual in the day but still common. "Why?"

"I thought we could have a little fun on our trip!" The man laughs again, more rasp in its quality than before. "It was a gift from me to you - isn't it a bit rude to never show him to us, old sport?"

     Kris is vaguely reminded about high school English classes, New York, a yellow car and something about the American Dream coupled with a dreary essay. A part of him admits that he should be respectful to the men trying to butter him up because of his father’s position in the company. He purses his lips.

Nah.

 

o.0.o

 

      Minseok looks at the piece of paper, messy blue ink bringing forth scrawled writing, some hearts, and a winky face. His tail happily swings back and forth, finger tracing the P.S. and fat heart scribbled next to endearing words. He hears the wallpaper behind him peel, humidity pulling it down and sun erasing the yellow floral print - but none of it matters when his head swirls with promises and a chipper tune from the record player.

     He taps on the sender's address, biting his lip as he eyes his suitcase. Well, not really his suitcase, rather, one of his owner's (brother dad man person's) that was deemed too small for appropriate travel: a dashing shade of mint green with a pretty plastic handle to match.

     The boy looks down at his feet, wiggling his toes.

He should wear his church shoes.

      In approximatively thirty minutes, Wu Minseok will become a fugitive. In the meantime, he scurries around opening drawers, neatly folding clothes and pressing them with his small ironing kit before they're crammed into his suitcase. He also spends ten minutes sitting on the cottage's makeshift kitchen floor, legs folded underneath him as he drinks from a glass bottle of milk. But that's unimportant.

     He looks at himself in the mirror at T-minus ten minutes, scissors making slits at the top of the straw hat he's manhandling. Giggling, the hat goes on his head, black ears slipping through the holes while the ribbon tickles his neck.

      Why, his fiancé deserves the best looking catboy in the country.

     Or the town.

     Or the island.

     He settles for island, it's much smaller and the chances of him being from a really small sample of hybrids is more likely.

     And it's not really his fiancé because the law doesn't really agree with him getting married. And he's a minor by human standards.

     At two minutes from his runaway, he remembers to take a can opener with him. Bright yellow sun runs its rays on his pale legs, no doubt about to leave an awkward tan with socks arriving mid-calf and shorts. It's a sacrifice to make. He reassures a split moment of anxiety with the knowledge that he left a note for Kris on the man's bed, slowly making his way down the porch. He has bus tickets for a round trip for two in the pocket of his yellow shorts and the beating heart of young love in his chest.

     Long grass and dirt stray behind him as a memory of unpaved roads and lazy summers as Minseok leaves for downtown asphalt and a pretty boy.

 

o.0.o

 

     When Kris enters his house, he kind of yells out Minseok's name. Thirteen times. The cottage is so small that it's barely necessary, but he does it anyways. Minseok doesn’t reply. Not even a mewl or a hiss. Not that Minseok hisses at him because Kris is a pretty reliable caretaker thing. The boy's Sunday shoes are missing, and it's only Tuesday.

_Kris-gege,_

_I'm running away for five days don't look for me but I promise that I'm safe! I'm with someone older than me so he can take care of me._

_I'll brush my teeth every night._

_I love you and I'll be thinking of you so don't worry!_

_Minseok <3_

_P.S. don’t look for me please ._

     It's not even been twenty-four hours since Minseok "ran away" because he only just saw him this morning, making a bouquet out of long grass and it's currently one in the afternoon, but Kris really, really wants to call the police.

     He kind of has a breakdown, and that's the moment when he truly realizes that he's an adult with responsibilities.

 

o.0.o

 

     Lu Han, hair styled more than usual and uniform bizarrely clean considering his job, is kicking a rock at the bus stop. It's a pretty large rock. Kind of grey, kind of black, jagged and heavy. A decent rock. He loses sight of it when it rolls off into cattails after a misjudged kick, but he still keeps his eyes down, avoiding the sun.

     He's seventeen, he thinks as his eyebrows furrow. He's not technically kidnapping someone else's kitten; he guesses you have to be a fully-fledged adult to be incriminated as such. And Minseok was the one who suggested it, anyways. Lu Han technically should not have a criminal record after this. His thoughts are shoved to a nondescript crevice of his mind however, when polished black shoes laced with fat white ribbons come into his eyesight. His eyes trail up from scabbed legs to a neat collared shirt, finally landing on a round face. 

"Hello." The boy says, sharp canines making an appearance. Lu Han stares at him, feeling a bit rosy in his cheeks. It's been a few months since they've last seen each other, and Minseok's ears that arrived at his chest are now at his nose. The top of his head would hit his chin if they ran into each other. He looks brilliant, Lu Han thinks, with a big straw hat adorned by a white ribbon sitting on top of black hair and a gummy smile. "I'm almost as tall as you, now. I've went through three pairs of shoes."

Nah. Not even close.

     Lu Han snorts. "I guess that now you're too big for Kris to forget you in his car when he brings it to the garage."

      He receives a kick to his shin. The teen manages to swallow back something like _feisty_ as to keep his leg untainted.

     The teen was raised to be a gentleman. Yixing, his brother, taught him to open doors and lie down on puddles so that people wouldn’t sully their footwear. Minseok, he notices, has a slim frame and skin that denotes a significant lack of vitamin D (vitamin _D_ , he emphasizes with an internal chuckle, mentally moving his hands to make double pistols and a wink), giving him an overall delicate appearance. It makes his gentlemanly feelings rise. Don't get him wrong, Minseok still has small claws, a killer jawline, and the sinewy figure that denotes a biological boy - but Minseok also looks like you can push him and he's tumble down with a mewl. Though he'd probably kick your balls or something after.

 "Let me take your suitcase." Lu Han says, motioning to Minseok's suitcase. The boy snorts.

"No thank you, I'm very much fine. I'm not a doll. I can do… stuff." Minseok steps away, eyes becoming slits as he looks at Lu Han.

"I should carry the bags," Lu Han proclaims, narrowing his eyes at Minseok. "Because I'm stronger and you're too light." His hands make grabbing motions towards Minseok's smaller ones tightening their grip on the mint handle. He starts to hiss when Lu Han closes in on their distance.

A car drives by, a pretty pastel yellow with the radio cranked up to the maximum. The feeling contrasts that of the tussle between the pair under the bus stop.

"What does me being light have to do with anything? Why, you have tiny wrists!" Minseok's high-pitched voice shouts. "And I'm not light! I'm smart, so my head is heavy." He crouches over the suitcase, turning so that his curved back faces Lu Han. The grass tickles his legs, but he won't stoop as low as letting go and giggling in front of Lu Han. His ears are pressed flat against his head, burying his face inwards towards the minty plastic.

"I can prove it." 

"Go away! I’ll shove claws up all your orifices!"

     Minseok feels hands press into his starched shirt, faint crisping noises made as they smooth over the expanse of his back. Biting his lip, he refrains himself from making a noise that would acknowledge Lu Han. Thumbs follow his spine before one of the boy's hands snakes around his waist, the other forcing its way between the fold of his legs.

"Don't!"

"I'm here to prove a point!"

     He's hoisted up, hands letting go of the suitcase in surprise. Lu Han grins at his armful of kitten, carrying the boy bridal style as he watches the thick ribbons laced into his Sunday shoes bob in the air. Minseok holds onto Lu Han for dear life, kicking his legs and crashing his head against his chest. Lu Han decides to shift Minseok so that his thighs bracket his hips.

     The proximity to Minseok's face sends a ruby flush in Lu Han's face, even if his sharp eyes are narrowed and his ears flicker in annoyance.

A tail still finds its way around Lu Han's left thigh – maybe something possessive, maybe something else.

 "S-see? I'm stronger."

 "Wow, congratulations, Lu Han. I'm absolutely stunned and swept away." Minseok quips, looping his arms around Lu Han's neck. He crosses his legs behind the boy's back, squeezing the life out of him. Lu Han groans, leaning on his suitcase for emotional support the best he can with a boy around his waist. "You're so petty." The catboy sneers.

 "You're so mean!" He grits out when Minseok's legs relax on his lower back, air coming back to his lungs. The hold is still strong - Lu Han probably doesn't even need to use his arms to hold him in place.

" _You're so mean_ ," Minseok mocks before he leans forward, looking at Lu Han expectantly. His bright, sharp eyes glimmer with something Lu Han prays isn't mischief, pink lips curling into a sweet smile. The worst part is that it's probably an honest smile, accompanied by crinkling eyes and fluffy cheeks. "Well?" Minseok speaks up after seconds pass, blinking cutely.

     Lu Han frowns. Blinks.

"Oh."

     The arrival of the bus that will take them past the bridge and into town is due in two minutes, but Lu Han doesn't especially care as his hands move up his porcelain neck, sliding past his jawline before cradling Minseok's head, tilting it to press a resolute kiss onto plush lips.

 

o.0.o

 

"Have you seen a boy about, uh," Kris' hand moves up and down before stopping. "This height around here? He has black ears and a kinda thin tail." The woman shrugs after discussing with her husband. Kris sighs, thanking the couple before returning to the road, ready to knock on the next door. Walking, the sunlight catches on his beautiful, gelled hair. It's at that state where hair is slicked back, gel hardening so that when you stare at him from the back, every clump of hair pulled back is defined and shining. He entertains the wild thought that maybe, just maybe, he could knock on the helmet that is his gelled hair.

"Ow!" 

Oh man, did his height finally manage to unintentionally commit murder?

     Turns out that Kris accidentally bumped into some guy that asked him if he saw a teenager with honey hair wearing a uniform from Kang's Motor Repairs. Yixing, he calls himself. Kris hasn't seen a lick of a young guy like that, though he has been to the garage often on his trips. Yixing hasn't seen a catboy either. He doesn't know how, but they end up discussing it in a café.

"So, your pet ran away?" Yixing asks, sipping his coffee. Kris internally twitches at the word pet.

"Minseok," He says, putting emphasis on _Minseok_ because that's the name of a boy, "Left a note saying that he's with some guy older than him. For five days."

"That's funny!" No, Yixing, it's not. "My brother left me a really short note just to say that he's gone for five days with some kid! Nothing else except for that information. Wild." He laughs, smiling widely as he recalls the memory. Kris deepens his bitch face. 

"At least Minseok told me he loves me." Kris adds dryly.

And then they stare at each other, devoid of emotion and thought.

 

o.0.o

 

     Minseok comes from a city. He's used to the hustle and bustle of people, but Lu Han still holds his hand tightly as he tugs him past the flux of the crowd. He's okay, he insists as they pass by shops and boutiques lined up in front of the harbour. He eats kitten food every day like a good boy should. The can says that it's for-ti-fied with vitamins and minerals. Minseok would bet his favourite socks that Lu Han doesn't eat for-ti-fied foods. He’ll grow taller and stronger while Lu Han grows old and weak.

Whatever for-ti-fied means.

     But it's not like he especially minds that Lu Han feels the need to hold his hand or bring him closer when the crowd gets denser, moving forward to push at people and pave a way for him; not that he really hates the way that Lu Han coos when someone steps on his tail. It's affection, but not because he's a hybrid with ears and a tail - he just feels like it's affection for a boy a year younger than Lu Han. Maybe that's why, inexperienced and young, Minseok finds himself reaching out to a boy that's now just the bit taller to envelop him and caress him. It's a feeling fresh and new, and he doesn't want to think about forever or the future because for someone like him, the longevity of this relationship is doubtful.

     Maybe liking can turn to love, or Minseok can just kidnap Lu Han or something. He's half sure Lu Han would go with it. Back home in the city, they have a third bedroom. He could keep the boy there and feed him and take him outside to play soccer. 

"You okay, Seokkie?"

"Hm?"

"You usually talk more. Are you tired?"

      He shrugs, moving into the warmth of Lu Han's arms while his suitcase bumps into his own tibias, sun drenching in hues of pink and orange and flies harassing the general public. They pass by a bookstore, but Lu Han doesn't seem to understand when his steps falter, tugging him forwards. Kris would _never_ do that. Maybe in these few days (where he totally is not planning to marry Lu Han and have a honeymoon) he'll understand.

"For how long do you think we can keep this up?" Minseok asks, looking up into Lu Han's eyes.

"Two days, tops. Yixing is probably already onto us. We might get busted tomorrow morning." Is the reply with narrowed eyes, conspiratorial whisper guiding the pair forward. He's not really sure where they're going, but it's fun to tour around lakeside shops and roads, prepared for summer and tourists with pastel vinyl and occasional themes of red and white stripes. Minseok isn't satisfied by the answer, however. "We gotta find a place to sleep though."

"I meant long term. Please find the context when I'm breaching romantic affairs."

     Lu Han laughs, grinning. He’s made for sunsets, Minseok thinks, with the way his skin is painted in rosy, golden tints and how his eyes catch the escaping glimmers of the sun. His hair looks nice in the sunset – golden hues compliment the colour well as opposed to regular light, where it becomes obvious that Lu Han used beer to lighten his hair. "You sound so unromantic when you say that," Lu Han states, stilling his movements. Minseok follows, grip tightening on his suitcase when the boy's arms slide down to his hips, thumbing small circles into the fabric of his shorts. His breath hitches, cheeks warm. "I can't really be sure, but it'd be nice if it's for long, no?"

 "You're only seventeen, how can you know?"

 "I dunno, but Yixing says that sometimes you know things for sure when you're young." There's something oddly confident in Lu Han's voice, and Minseok lets his insecurities be lulled by it.

"Okay." 

Lu Han smiles like an idiot, and Minseok doesn't even need to hope for a kiss before it's delivered.

 

o.0.o

 

     Teenagers are stupid. Kris hates them. He would fight Lu Han and his mechanic ass with one of the boy's wrenches. Minseok, attitude and morbid jokes be damned, is easily influenced by pretty people, especially those he likes. He's a pure vessel, a kitten. Kitten, he emphasizes mentally, because that’s what he is in his mind. He's childish and brash, Kris agonizes as he looks at Yixing. Minseok is barely at fault.

"So, my brother and your cat have eloped together."

"Yes," Kris replies. "It appears to be so."

Fucking Lu Han.

"I found some of their letters - I mean, it's kinda cute." Yixing smiles softly, fingers running on white paper. Kris recognizes absurdly neat handwriting in green crayon and feels his jaw clench. Man, that's like, his kid. He raised Minseok (since the boy was thirteen but still) - he feeds him cookies and buys blueberry jam for him even if Kris hates it. Now this guy's brother abducted him. "Puppy love, right? Look, your cat wrote ' _Today I accidentally kicked a chickadee and it died I wanted to mail it to you but I guess you can catch diseases from it so here's a flower instead. I buried it behind the church after service but I think Sister Solange saw me? I wish I can see you_ '. You don't have things like that these days."

"I don't particularly care. Do you know where they can be?" He cuts, waiter taking his empty cup away. He taps his foot on the ground impatiently, wanting nothing more than to leave. Yixing looks at him as if the answer was obvious.

"We wait until night and check out the cheapest motel, that's how we find them. Do you have a car? I know some places since I live around here, so I can drive you there!"

No. He wants to leave _now_.

"By the way, how old is Minseok?" Really fucking young, Yixing.

"Sixteen going on seventeen." The man in front of him gasps, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. Kris furrows his eyebrows at his reaction.

"He sounds totally unprepared to face a world of men," He whispers scandalously, eyes wide. Kris guesses that Yixing has finally understood the gravity of the situation. "Is he also timid and shy and scared of things beyond his ken?" Not exactly, but it holds some truth. He nods, following the way Yixing looks like he's bracing for a heart attack.

"Why? How old is your brother?"

"Seventeen going on eighteen, but he's not really older and wiser able to tell him what to do! Your cat can't depend on him!"

"That's your brother! How can you say that?" 

"If you knew him, you would partially understand." Yixing exclaims again, taking his wallet out to pay the bill. "Even if he has a job and is more mature than kids his age in high school, he can still be a fool. Like, he's with a catboy! By law, hyrbids can only do outside stuff when their owners are present! Obviously, he hasn't done any research, and now he can be penalized. Does Minseok have a collar?" He asks when Kris slides some bills in Yixing's direction. Money is stacked into a nice little pile on the bill tray as they push themselves out of their chairs.

     Collars were striked out on three offences: one, if it was around Minseok's neck he'd look like one of those kids from that 'punk' movement or whatever it was called; two, animals have collars with personal information written on them, but Minseok can talk anyways, and it's not like someone is going to walk up and check his collar because that's rude; and three, in Kris' mind Minseok is a boy. You don't mark boys down, usually. Like, nah man.  He shakes his head.

"Can I trust Lu Han on a really basic, human being way? Like, he's not going to molest Minseok or anything, is he?" Worriedly, Kris looks at Yixing as they step out of the café's doors.

     He laughs. "No, he's not the type. He doesn't really fool around with other kids, you know. Such a good boy," The other adult smiles, taking the lead. "Apart from the fact that he has eloped with your catboy."

 "Yeah."

"Don't kill him when you see him!" Yixing adds jokingly, although Kris thinks that he shouldn't be giving him ideas.

He keeps a pocket knife around anyways.

 

o.0.o

 

     Lu Han grew up hooked on the sounds of summer. It's all mattresses on the ground and noisy, clicking ceiling fans, old pipes and wind running on fields. Winters are mild where he lives, so he doesn't especially suffer. A dusty yellow light illuminates the dank motel room, corners still dark save for the far right where the lamp and bed stand. It's still enough to let him see Minseok, dressed in one of Lu Han's cotton shirts for the kick of it. "Because you don't believe that I'm almost your size," The catboy told him, smacking his face with his tail. It still hangs on his frame a bit too large. Who feeds this child lies? The comforter has the texture of a cloth waffle and smells of humidity and dust, and the springs of the bed push on their bodies, creaking and whining at the slightest movement. Still, he could afford it so he can't complain. The receptionist eyed them strangely before shrugging, rolling her eyes and saying something like _teenagers and their toys_ before giving them a room key. He was kind of offended. But he can afford this place.

     The ceiling fan here, too, clicks and whirs, but the usual sounds of summer are accompanied by soft mewls because Minseok has formed a deep attachment to a ball of yarn, stereotypical as it is. He looks ridiculous, baby blue tangled in black fur and pale skin, but Lu Han isn't one to judge - not when it's a boy he terribly, terribly likes so much.

     They just weirdly got along on their first meeting, when Lu Han kind of went "Who the fuck leaves a kid in their car when they drop it off to a garage" and Minseok was blissfully unaware, passed out on the back seat. Then one of Lu Han's older co-workers went "Who the fuck" as a general statement. It escalated to the point where he was relegated as babysitter, and they just became pen-pals. He could talk about life and his problems and Minseok would listen (see: read) and reply, sometimes worried, sometimes amazed, sometimes highly critical (how stupid do you have to be to almost break your fingers? Can't you take precautions? And you think you're smarter than me, jerkface), but all around cheerful and highly likeable.

"Han- I'm, ah, stuck."

"Aw, poor baby," He coos, pulling Minseok forward. He laughs boisterously at his face contorted in disgust and embarrassment - Lu Han has turned the tables this time, finally free to mock and jeer his… boyfriend… thing. "Stuck in yarn; does it hurt, angel?"

"Don't talk to me ever again." Minseok sneers, tail standing upright. He kicks Lu Han arms away, but the older boy tugs him forwards more forcefully, cackling as he does so. "I'm filing a divorce!" He shrieks, wrists bound together and yarn restricting his movements. Lu Han pries away blue string hanging from his ears, picking off strands stuck in small claws and an odd entrapment around the boy's two feet. Minseok is defeated, spread out on the comforter, fire gone from his eyes and replaced by the reflection of the fan.

"I'm just kidding," Lu Han murmurs when he lies down by Minseok, lips brushing over his temple. He removes the last loop around his neck, winding the yarn back into a ball. "Chill."

Summer is spending lazy nights inside, summer storms brewing outside and patters of rain shushing two boys to sleep.

"Minseok…" He sighs before slipping into sleep, hand scratching the back of said boy's ear soothingly. Where his forearm meets Minseok's back, he can feel purrs rumbling across his body. "Is it okay if I say I love you?"

The hybrid giggles before falling silent, purrs replaced by slow and regular breathing.

      He'll take that as a yes.

 

o.0.o

 

"He's wearing a blue garage uniform and his hair is slicked back like this," Yixing passes a hand through his hair, mimicking the wave in Lu Han's hair. Kris watches as the receptionist, a bored young adult with an ebony ponytail as tired as the bags under her eyes, furrows her eyebrows. "Around my height, very pretty."

"Pretty?" She asks, pen tapping on her clipboard to make up in the enthusiasm her face lacks in. Her voice lacks tonality, dripping in a monotone, bleak pitch.

"Yes!"

 "With a catboy?"

     Kris nods fervently, eyes pleading. The girl nods, flipping to the second page before circling a number and giving them keys. "Room eight. It's on the left side. But, I mean, don't interrupt them. You know what teens want with hybrids, right? Gross." She works in a motel, he reminds himself, where most media portray couples doing shady stuff on beds that probably have mites in them. His mind starts to catch up with her words, and he almost drops his bag in shock.

     His chest does that thing - like when you're ready to vomit or wheeze, but nothing comes out. He chokes. He loses his bearings. He loses his mind, his soul, his inner balance and peace, his heart - it's in his stomach, churned in 2.8 pH acid with no help from mucus lining. Murder. Homicide. Homicide _s_.

"Um-" Yixing starts, eyes wide. "Do we-"

     Kris makes a defeated noise and sinks to the ground.

"Did he faint?"

     The receptionist shrugs.

 

o.0.o

 

     One time, Minseok threw a huge tantrum on Kris' kitchen floor. He even threw an open cereal box across the counter and onto the carpeted living room as well as dishes on the ground - granted, they were made out of cardboard and flimsily landed on the tiles, but he finished with tears streaming down his face and snot clogging his nose. He can't really pin down what the cause was, but there were definitely mixed feelings at the start of their 'family' when Kris decided to keep Minseok. That tantrum really sealed the deal because Kris made mackerel that night to make up, and that fatty fish is enough to fix any broken heart. That's true friendship. And Minseok was allowed to sleep in a pillow fort. He never threw any other tantrums after that.

     Well, that is until ten in the morning on a cloudy Wednesday, slight rain on the roof and window, paving slick roads and worm-infested sidewalks. The worms are just trying to not drown in pockets of air in the soil, so that's fine - they can do as they please. It was peaceful. They decided to sleep in, tangled in each other above the comforter because the summer humidity clung heavily in the air. Minseok liked being held by Lu Han - a hand cradling his neck and the other on his hip, pulling him close to the older boy. He liked how Lu Han's body was kind of rectangular and flat but still robust - it made wrapping his arms around his waist a nice fit. Everything was nice - sure, he wasn't completely soft and squishy like most things Minseok likes, but the way they pressed together and how Lu Han had his nose in his hair, pressing kisses to the base of his ears, how Minseok could hear his humming thrum in his body was nice. Liked it. Loved it. It was security in the midst of impending doom.

Then, it just had to be ruined.

     For Lu Han, it wasn't really like he was doing something wrong, but he suddenly felt the strong impulse to kick Minseok away when the door swung open. He screamed when he saw Yixing staring at them, eyes wide like saucers and dimples gone. They were gone, girl. The impulse was replaced by holding Minseok even closer, shielding him, even, when he saw the tallest guy he's ever seen yet. The tallest, livid man he's seen in his life. Red face, jaw clenched, hand ready to rip the doorframe apart. His knuckles are white; he notices with a gulp. A big gulp. Fifteen litres of fear swallowed.

     Yixing _lunges_ towards him. He shrieks, letting go and covering his face with his arms. His brother hits him with a rolled up magazine, cussing in Mandarin in ways Lu Han wasn't even aware was possible. It hurts, it stings, and despite the core feeling of being the man society moulds him into, he feels tears well up in his eyes. He cries out. Is Minseok seeing this? Sorry, Minseok, that you had to see this.

"Stop hurting him!" He faintly hears Minseok cry out, a pair of hands tugging on his arms closer to a warm body. "It's only been a day!"

     Then Kris moves into action. He's like a bull in a china shop, except instead of fine china it's two teenagers. Lu Han watches, quivers in piss drenched (not literally) fear as he's pushed down from the bed, landing with a _fuck!_ as Yixing decides to attack his face, squishing his two cheeks together in a mix of beautiful, brotherly rage and restraint. He had this coming. You don't just abandon your job for a boy, but books told him to. For the sake of love, he became a fugitive. A day-old fugitive, but a fugitive nonetheless. Beautiful, blissful ignorance and stupidity. Minseok topples off the bed as Kris tugs on his arms, falling by the man's feet. There's a sharp hiss and a yowl, and Kris cries out at the feeling of claws on his leg. 

You get him, baby.

     There's a lot of shouting and scuffling, the latter mostly on Lu Han and Yixing's side as they battle it out. The man is probably mostly ticked off at the position the young pair was found in. In the midst of everything, Kris tugs Minseok up by his arm, ignoring the small claws lodging into his hand as the boy tries to pry it off him. His other hand reaches down near his lower back, and he'd scoff at Lu Han's expression if he weren't so disenchanted by the recent string of events. Finding the base of Minseok's tail, wide, brown eyes stare at him in disbelief. He squeezes.

     Minseok falls limp against him, eyes closed and breathing more quiet, more regular.

"Did you- did you just induce him to sleep?" Yixing asks, bewildered. His grip on his brother's cheeks relaxes, Lu Han writhing when he realizes that he's still in the older man's hellish hold. "That's so cool, it's like the Vulcan grip. I wish I could do that on Hannie."

"It takes- _ugh_ \- years of experience. Control your gremlin, Yixing, for god's sake!" Kris shouts when Lu Han takes the small pause to stomp on Kris' foot and kick Yixing's balls. The man will have to forego future attempts at reproduction. "What the fuck were you thinking - running away with Minseok and shit, you dwarfed prat? I'll cut your dick off before you can even think of doing anything to him!" Lu Han wails at the threat.

 "I'm sorry," He blubbers, hands scrambling on gross motel carpet. "I'm so sorry, plea- please forgive me!" The boy rubs his hands together, head hung low.

 "Kris, he's just a kid! I'll take care of it, he's my brother!"

 "Okay, you do that while I get the fuck away from whatever shitfest this is."

     Just like that, two minutes of struggle are cleared with Kris' rolled sleeves carrying Minseok's limp body out of the room. Lu Han's fucked, man. He's unbelievably screwed.

Dismantling the operation was as quick as its invention and execution.

 

o.0.o

 

     Minseok blames a lot of stuff on being part cat. This includes (but is not limited to): scratching people, destroying the curtains, hiding in closets, sleeping in boxes, hissing, drinking milk at three a.m., and most importantly; scents. In the early stages of Kris' ownership over him after having overcome their differences, Minseok would sleep with some shirt from the man or wear his socks. The need to feel belonging in such a way went both ways, however - every day before Kris would leave work, Minseok would nuzzle and huggle him to death. It was like a message to tell all the other hybrids to back the fuck off because Minseok enjoyed his life in the man's spacious home. Only he could prance around in a two-floor apartment and sleep in a queen bed. When he and the reassurances of family became older, he didn't feel the need to do so anymore. He trusted his guardian, Kris, the tall guy that feeds him cookies and buys him blueberry jam even if he detests it, just to please Minseok.

"Minseok, stop inhaling Lu Han's shirt."

"You can't tell me what to do, Yifan. It's my instinct." Kris rolls his eyes, but doesn't make a move to shove Minseok off the couch. The boy takes it as an initiative to huddle closer to the man.

"Don't call me Yifan. I said it's Kris."

 "You just do that to sound cool." Minseok bites back, still bringing Lu Han's cotton shirt to his face. His tail swings happily between his legs, squished between Kris and the backseat of the couch. "If you were cool, you'd let me see Lu Han before we leave…"

 "Minseok," Kris gets up, leaning on the arm of the couch. "You survived for a year as pen pals. It won't hurt."

 "Kitties can have attachment issues too, you know. I also need to mark my territory. What if someone steals him? Then, I'll be left alone. _Forever_."

 "Kit, you had all the time in the world to-" Kris brings his hands up for air quotation marks. "Mark your territory."

     Minseok moves to cling on the older man. "No- you barged in and ruined everything! He's nice to me, why can't you let him love me and me love him?" With big, wet eyes staring at him and small hands on his ribs, Kris immediately starts to regret his life decisions. He hears a sniffle, and- god, is that a tear? Seconds trickle with Minseok in that position, ears dropping and falling flat on his head.

 "How can you love him so much?" He sighs, head falling back. He brings a hand to pet Minseok's head. The boy shrugs, burying his head in Kris' chest. "Then… I guess. You win."

     Minseok squeals, longing to feel the security of Lu Han's arms and the softness of his lips from which pretty words spill forth. And maybe, just maybe, he'll finally get to slip a ring on his finger.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda forgot i had an ao3 account lmao but anyways thanks for reading!


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